EPA/542/F-10/011

REUSING POTENTIALLY CONTAMINATED LANDSCAPES:

Growing Gard e n s i n U r b a n S o i l s
This fact sheet provides communities and individuals with general
urban gardening information about:

Common contaminants that can be found in urban soil.

Ways to identify contaminants and reduce exposure.
Improving soils and growing plants in mildly contaminated soil.
Additional resources and technical assistance.

Introduct i o n
Communities throughout the country are turning to urban agriculture and
gardening as a reasonable option to increase their access to healthy, nutritious, and
low-cost produce. Some of the sites that communities are using for urban gardens
were previously home to industrial and commercial operations. A garden on
abandoned land can become a new community asset by improving the visual look
of a neighborhood and potentially increasing nearby property values. Community
gardens provide many benefits, including healthier lifestyles by increasing activity
levels, providing fresh produce, growing community pride, and nurturing social
interactions and cooperation among people.

More information for the urban

gardener on soil science, soil
amendments, plants, contaminants
and their health effects, and
additional links is available on EPAs
CLU-IN website: www.clu-in.org/
ecotools/urbangardens.cfm.

For communities interested in gardening on a site that might be contaminated, it is

important to first determine the health and suitability of the soil at the site. It is a
common gardening practice to test soil for characteristics such as pH and nutrient
availability. When creating a garden on land with an industrial or commercial
history, it is highly recommended that communities consider the sites land use
history and test the soil accordingly for potential contamination. Knowledge of soil
health and potential contamination are keys to helping communities identify and
correct problems so that each urban garden is safe and productive.
The possibility of contamination at a garden site should not keep you from planning
an urban garden there. This fact sheet presents steps that you can take to find out
and address potential contamination at your site to help create a safe and healthy
garden for your community.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation

Spring 2011

Soil Qualit y
Q:
A:

Why Is Healthy Soil Important for Your Garden?

Healthy soil is essential for plants to grow in your garden. When a
property has been used for industrial or commercial activities, the
soil is often nutrient deficient, highly compacted and potentially
contaminated. These soils can be improved and made healthy again
so that your garden plants can grow and thrive. Healthy soil holds
water and contains beneficial organisms, plant nutrients, and organic
matter.

Soil Nutrients

Soil nutrients are vital for healthy soil and must be available for plants to grow.
Soil tests will help you determine the existing nutrients available in your soil and
indicate which nutrients and nutrient amounts need to be added. Mineral nutrients
such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (NPK), and calcium can occur naturally
in the soil, but often need to be applied to maintain a healthy balance. Soil nutrients
may be added in various forms, including: fertilizer and lime (available in most
gardening stores) and organic matter such as grass clippings, leaves, and compost.

Physical Properties of Soil

The physical properties of soil determine how well nutrients are available to plants.
Soil contains a combination of sand, rock, silt, clay, air, and organic matter, which
affects its ability to hold nutrients and water.
You can improve the physical quality of your soil by leveling and loosening the
soil and adding organic matter such as compost and manure. These additions can
increase the amount of water that sandy soils can absorb or hold and can improve
the drainage of clay soils.

Soil pH

Soil pH affects the amounts and types of nutrients available to plants through their
roots. The pH scale goes from 0 to 14; a pH of 7 is neutral. A lower number means
a more acidic soil, while a higher number means a more basic or alkaline soil.
Certain nutrients are less available to plants in soils
pH Scale
where the pH is too low or too high. When a soils pH
acidic
is near neutral, nutrients are more readily available to
plants, and microbial populations in the soil increase.
A soil test will tell you the pH of your soil. Based on
this information, you will be able to determine whether
soil amendments (soil additions) are needed to change
the pH of your soil to meet your gardening needs. You
can raise the pH of soil by adding lime or wood ash.
You can lower the pH of soil to make it more acidic
neutral
by using fertilizers containing ammonium-nitrate or
specialty fertilizers for acid-loving plants that contain
ammonium sulfate or sulfur-coated urea.
For more information on amendments that can be used
to improve soil quality, see Techniques for Addressing
Soil Contamination in the Resources section in this fact
sheet, page 11.

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Contaminants
A soil contaminant is an element or chemical present in the soil at a level that could possibly
pose health risks. In a few areas of the country, element levels may be naturally high. In many
cases, human activities have increased the soil levels of many elements and chemicals and
also spread them out more widely. Lead, cadmium, arsenic, zinc, and polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs) are contaminants commonly found in any urban environment. In
addition, other contaminants can also be found in areas near former commercial or industrial
properties. Table 1 lists sources of contamination that are commonly found on sites with a
commercial or industrial history.
Table 1. Common Sources of Contamination1
General Source

Examples of Previous Site Uses Specific Contaminants

Paint (before 1978)

Old residential buildings; mining; leather

tanning; landfill operations; aircraft component manufacturing

Lead

High traffic areas

Next to heavily trafficked roadways or

highways; near roadways built before
leaded fuel was phased out

Lead, zinc, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Treated lumber

Lumber treatment facilities

Arsenic, chromium, copper

Burning wastes

Landfill operations

PAHs, dioxins

Contaminated manure

Copper and zinc salts added to animal

feed

Copper, zinc

Coal ash

Coal-fired power plants; landfills

Molybdenum, sulfur

Sewage sludge

Sewage treatment plants; agriculture

Cadmium, copper, zinc, lead, persistent

bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs)

Petroleum spills

Gas stations; residential/commercial/industrial uses (anywhere an aboveground

or underground storage tank is or has
been located)

PAHs, benzene, toluene, xylene, ethyl

benzene

Pesticides

Widespread pesticide use, such as in

orchards; pesticide formulation, packaging and shipping

Lead, arsenic, mercury, chlordane and other

chlorinated pesticides

Commercial/industrial site use

PAHs, petroleum products, solvents, lead,

other heavy metals (such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury and zinc)

Dry cleaners

Stoddard solvent and tetrachloroethene

Metal finishing operations

Metals and cyanides

EPAs Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) can provide information to communities about sites where contaminants were
released into the environment. The Envirofacts database allows users to enter location information, such as zip code,
address or county location, to get information about releases in their area. The database is available online at: www.
epa.gov/enviro.

Adapted from Heinegg, A., Maragos, P., Mason, E., Rabinowicz, J., Straccini, G. and Walsh, H. (2000) Urban Agriculture and Soil
Contamination, available at: http://cepm.louisville.edu/Pubs_WPapers/practiceguides/PG25.pdf.

What
Are Soil
Background
Levels?
Background levels are
the naturally occurring
levels of elements and
chemicals found in any
soil. Background levels
differ depending on the
region of the country in
which you live. In some
areas background levels
for certain elements and
chemicals may be higher.
Contact
your
local
extension service or state
environmental agency
(see Technical Assistance
in the Resources section,
page 10) for help in
learning more about
elemental background
levels for the soil in your
neighborhood.
More information on
soil background levels
in the United States is
available at: http://pubs.
usgs.gov/of/2005/1253/
pdf/OFR1253.pdf.

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Conta m i n a n t s co n t i n u ed
Q: How Do I Know if My Property is Contaminated?
A: You can conduct a formal environmental assessment (study) of the land you are
interested in using for urban gardening. There are two types of assessments:
Phase I and Phase II Environmental Assessments. A Phase I assessment
includes a review by a trained environmental professional of historical site
uses, interviews with neighbors and, if possible, site owners, and a visual site
inspection to determine the potential for and type of contamination at a site. If
a Phase I assessment determines that there is potential for contamination at the
site, a Phase II assessment is conducted to sample for contaminants and locate
any impacted areas.
For more information on Phase 1 and Phase 2 assessments, contact your local
and state environmental agencies. Some local governments may even be able to
provide you with a Phase I or Phase II environmental assessment or have qualified
environmental professionals on staff who can conduct the assessment.

Q: What if My Community Needs Help with Site Assessments, Sampling or

Cleanup?
A: Federal funding is available to government entities to conduct
brownfields (property where reuse may be complicated due to on-site
contamination) assessments. Working with local officials to apply for
an EPA brownfields grant can provide money for your community
to assess or clean up the property you are interested in as well as
address other properties.
What you need to know to get started in applying for brownfields
grants can be found at: www.epa.gov/brownfields/grant_info/assess/
assessment_factsheet.pdf.

Biosolids
Biosolids are the nutrient-rich organic materials resulting from
the treatment of sewage sludge (the name for the solid, semisolid or liquid untreated residue generated during the treatment
of domestic sewage in a treatment facility). When treated
and processed, sewage sludge becomes biosolids, which are
tested for safety to be recycled and applied as fertilizer to
improve and maintain productive soils and stimulate plant
growth. Only biosolids that meet the strictest state and
federal standards can be approved for use as a fertilizer.
More information on how biosolids have been used to solve
problems on potentially contaminated lands is available at:
www.cluin.org/ecotools/soil.cfm.
More information on biosolids is available at: http://water.
epa.gov/polwaste/wastewater/treatment/biosolids/genqa.
cfm.

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More information for the urban gardener on soil science,

effects, and additional links is available on EPAs CLU-IN

Exposure Pathways
Q:
A:

How Could I Come into Contact with Contaminants while

Gardening?
An exposure pathway is the way that a contaminant comes into
contact with people. If a site assessment concludes that contaminants
are present, the next step is to think about potential contaminant
impacts as you work the soil to garden or eat the food you grow.
There are two human exposure pathways to soil contaminants: the
soil-to-human pathway and the soil-to-plant-to-human pathway.

Soil-to-Human Exposure Pathway

While gardening, the greatest risk of exposure to contaminants is from contaminated

soil getting into your mouth or by breathing in contaminated dust. For example,
children playing in the garden may directly eat soil through hand-to-mouth play, or
people may eat plants without first washing them to remove soil and dust. Skin contact
(dermal exposure) with soils containing contaminants such as PAHs, chromium and
trichloroethylene (TCE) can pose health risks.

Soil-to-Plant-to-Human Exposure Pathway

Some edible plants do take up and accumulate contaminants. A plants uptake of

contaminants depends on many factors, including the type of plant and the pH and
organic content of the soil. However, research shows that there is minimal risk of
exposure from eating plants grown in contaminated soils. To reduce concerns of
exposure from eating plants, wash produce thoroughly before eating to remove
potential soil contamination. Root vegetables have a higher potential for accumulating
contaminants. In some cases, it may be prudent to avoid growing edible plants in soils
with high contaminant concentrations.

Wha t A re E PA S o i l S c re e n i n g L evels (SSLs) and Can

SSLs B e U s e d a s L i m i t s fo r U r b an Gardening?
EPAs SSLs were developed to determine if the soil at Superfund (program that allows
EPA to clean up hazardous waste sites) sites warrants further study, investigation or
possibly cleanup depending on how a site is being used (for example, for residential
or commercial purposes). These screening levels look at several soil-to-human
exposure pathways, including: direct ingestion, dermal exposure, and inhalation.
EPAs general guidance states that if an SSL is not exceeded for a pathway of
concern, the user may eliminate that pathway from further investigation. While EPA
does not have SSLs for gardening, some states may decide that residential SSLs are
appropriate to use for gardening purposes, or they may establish appropriate levels
specific to each site.

soil amendments, plants, contaminants and their health

website: www.clu-in.org/ecotools/urbangardens.cfm.

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Wise Urban Gardening

In general, the benefits of urban gardening greatly outweigh the risks. By following
the recommendations and best practices listed below, you will decrease your
likelihood of exposure to contaminants that are commonly found in urban soils
located on sites with past industrial and commercial uses.
Q:
A:

What Can I Do to Lower the Chances of Coming into Contact with

Contaminants that May Be in Present in my Soil?
If you find that the soil in which you want to garden is contaminated,
you may want to first consult with your state and local environmental
agencies and EPAs Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB)
program (see Technical Assistance in the Resources section, page
10) to learn about how to find professional site cleanup specialists
who can recommend the best techniques for reducing high levels
of contaminants. The following techniques are commonly used to
eliminate exposure to soil contaminants:
Build raised beds.
Use soil amendments to stabilize contaminants in soil. Adding a
thick layer of organic matter to your soil provides a physical barrier
to contamination. Soil amendments have also been used to bind
contaminants so that they are no longer mobile or bioavailable. Soil
amendments improve the overall soil quality for growing plants and
are a good addition to any soil.
Remove all contaminated soil and replace it with clean soil. Make
sure the replacement soil is clean by asking the supplier for proof
that the soil that was tested to be contaminant-free.
Use phytotechnologies, which utilize plants to extract, degrade,
contain or immobilize contaminants in soil. However, using
phytotechnologies to clean up contaminants can take many years,
is not effective for every contaminant, and generally requires special
handling for the disposal of plants used. Information on specific
contaminants that can be remediated using phytotechnologies is
available at: www.cluin.org/download/remed/phytotechnologiesfactsheet.pdf.

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More information for the urban gardener on soil science,

effects, and additional links is available on EPAs CLU-IN

Bioavailability

Build Raised Beds and Container Gardening

Building raised beds and growing plants in containers is the most common
way to reduce the chances of coming into contact with contaminants in urban
gardens. These gardening techniques are preferred because the clean soil and
organic matter used to build the raised beds creates a physical barrier between the
gardeners/plants and possible contamination in the ground soils. Raised beds can
be built for permanent or seasonal use.

How to build raised beds:

Place a layer of landscape fabric on top of the ground soil before adding
the clean soil and organic matter. The fabric layer creates a barrier
beneath the soil in the bed that prevents plant roots from entering the
ground soil below the bed.
Build a frame to hold the clean soil for a permanent raised bed. Ask for
non-treated lumber when getting wood to build the frame.

See the National Gardening Associations how-to video on Making a Raised Bed
Garden, available at: www.garden.org/howtovideos/index.php?page=video2.
Even when you are using raised bed and container gardens to address contamination,
airborne contaminants, soil dust, or soil splashback from other areas may still
enter the raised beds. Consider covering walkways and other areas of exposed
soil with mulch, grass, or other groundcover to help reduce dust migration and
splashback onto crops and protect against human exposure when gardening.

soil amendments, plants, contaminants and their health

website: www.clu-in.org/ecotools/urbangardens.cfm.

The risks associated with

contaminant levels in soil may
also be much lower than expected
based on test results because of the
bioavailability of the contaminant
in the soil. Bioavailability of a
contaminant is the amount of
contaminant that can be taken up
by your body. It depends on the
characteristics of the site and the
soil. For example, for soils rich in
lead, treatment with phosphate and
compost has been shown to reduce
the bioavailability of soil lead,
decreasing the risk of exposure to
people .

Phytotechnologies
and Lead
Q: Lead is a common contaminant
in urban soils. Can I use
phytoremediation to remove lead
from the soil at my site?
A: No. Phytoremediation of lead
in soils is ineffective since lead is
generally not available for plant
uptake. However, the use of soil
amendments is an effective way to
reduce potential exposure.

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Best Practices in the Garden

Building raised beds and mulching pathways is an excellent way to reduce the chance of coming into contact with potential
contaminants. The recommendations below can add another layer of protection if you have raised beds or decide to do inground planting.

Locate gardens away from old painted buildings and roads with heavy traffic.

Use a thick layer of organic material such as compost or mulch. Place landscape fabric between ground soil and
new, clean soil.

Watch over small children to stop them from eating soil through hand-to-mouth play.

Wash hands immediately after gardening and before eating to avoid accidentally eating soil.
Wear gloves as a barrier between your hands and the soil.

Throw away the outer leaves of greens, especially from the bottom of plants, before washing. Soil particles
are most likely to be located on the outer leaves of leafy plants.

Wash produce using running water.

Avoid b r i n g i n g contaminated soil into the home by:

Cleaning tools, gloves and shoes before bringing them indoors.

Putting highly soiled clothes in a bag before bringing them indoors and washing them promptly in a
separate load.
Washing off excess dirt from crops, especially root crops and leafy vegetables, before bringing them
indoors.

Peel vegetables, especially root vegetables, which are in direct contact with soil.

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More information for the urban gardener on soil science,

effects, and additional links is available on EPAs CLU-IN

Steps You Can Take to Reduce Potential Risk from Contaminants When Growing Vegetables:

Add high rates of compost and other organic soil amendments to the soil (up to 50:50 by volume) in order to
dilute soil contaminant concentrations, improve the physical properties of soil and plant growth, and make
contaminants less available for plants to take up.
Garden in raised beds or containers to separate the garden from the contaminated soil.

To learn about safe levels of soil contamination and the cleanup requirements of sites used for gardening or
farming in your area, contact your state environmental agency or cooperative extension services.
Contact information is provided under Technical Assistance in the Resources section, page 10.

Choosing Crops
In general, plants that produce fruiting bodies (for example, tomatoes, squash, apple and pear trees, and berries) are most
appropriate for growing in potentially contaminated soil. Root and tuber crops (for example, carrots, potatoes and onions)
are often the least appropriate plants to grow in potentially contaminated soil, as the edible portions of the crops are in
direct contact with the soil. Vegetables with large outer leaves (for example, cabbage, lettuce and collard greens) are easily
contaminated by dust and soil splashback, so careful washing of these plants is necessary.

Conclusion
There are many effective ways to reduce or eliminate any risk from gardening on potentially contaminated land. Gardening
provides many benefits to communities and individuals. The information in this fact sheet is designed to help you understand
the steps that your community can take to create healthy garden conditions for growing a variety of delicious and nutritious
crops. So go dig, plant, harvest and enjoy!

soil amendments, plants, contaminants and their health

website: www.clu-in.org/ecotools/urbangardens.cfm.

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Case Study
LIBERTY LANDS
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Twenty years ago, the Northern Liberties neighborhood was the only
zip code in Philadelphia without a community green space. Several
tanneries contaminated the neighborhood. EPA conducted removal
actions and cleaned up the site. Neighborhood residents worked with
the City of Philadelphia to find resources for reusing the site. EPA
provided soil testing and other technical assistance to ensure that the site
was safe for reuse as a park and community garden. Hundreds of hours of
donated time, monthly meetings, outreach and fundraising efforts resulted in
Liberty Lands community park becoming a reality. The park opened in 1996 and
includes 37 garden plots and a composting area, an herb and butterfly garden, a childrens playground, open
space for community events, and community art and sculpture. The park is at the center of a revitalized
community, surrounded by new residential and commercial redevelopment.
For more information, visit www.epa.gov/brownfields/success/libertylandspass.pdf.

Resources for Urban Gardeners

Technical Assistance

1. Local agricultural cooperative extension services can help with interpreting soil quality results (i.e., pH
and nutrients testing) and provide a list of local environmental departments or laboratories that test for soil
contaminants. U.S. Department of Agriculture extension services are listed online at: www.csrees.usda.gov/
Extension/index.html.
2. EPAs Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) program can help with questions regarding Phase I and
Phase II Environmental Assessments. The TAB website is available at: www.epa.gov/brownfields/tools/index.htm#tab.
In addition, several TAB providers have experience working with communities to explore urban agricultural
opportunities. These providers include:
Kansas State University: www.engg.ksu.edu/chsr/outreach/tab.
Center for Creative Land Recycling (especially in California and Colorado): www.cclr.org.
3. State and tribal brownfields programs may be able to help with information specific to your state or tribe.
To find your state brownfields program, visit: www.epa.gov/brownfields/state_tribal/state_map.htm. To find your tribal
brownfields program, visit: www.epa.gov/brownfields/state_tribal/tribe_progs.htm.

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Urban

Additional Resources
General Information

More information about creating an urban garden is available at: www.epa.gov/brownfields/urbanag/.

More information on soil science, soil amendments, plants, contaminants and their health effects, and additional links can
be found on EPAs CLU-IN website, available at: www.clu-in.org/ecotools/urbangardens.cfm.

Soil Quality
More information on soil health is available at:
EPAs Hazardous Waste Cleanup Information website: www.clu-in.org/ecotools/soil.cfm.
Cornells Waste Management Institute website: http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/soilquality.htm.
Local agricultural cooperative extension services website: www.csrees.usda.gov/extension.

Contaminants
The EPA Sector Notebook Series is a set of profiles containing information on specific industries. The notebooks can help
your community identify types of contaminants often associated with specific commercial and industrial land uses. The
notebooks are available at: www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/publications/assistance/sectors/notebooks/index.html.
EPAs Toxics Release Inventory System provides useful information about the history of individual sites: www.epa.gov/tri/.
Information about the health effects of particular contaminants is available at:
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR): www.atsdr.cdc.gov/substances/index.asp.
EPAs Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS): www.epa.gov/IRIS.
The Risk Assessment Information System: http://rais.ornl.gov.
In addition, EPAs Superfund Redevelopment Initiative website has a web page where reuse questions can be submitted:
www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/contact/index.html.

Techniques for Addressing Soil Contamination

For more information on techniques for addressing soil contamination:
EPA fact sheet: Soil Amendments for Remediation, Revitalization and Reuse Tools: Fact Sheet, available at: www.
clu-in.org/download/remed/540R07013.pdf.
EPA paper: The Use of Soil Amendments for Remediation, Revitalization and Reuse, available at:

available at: www.clu-in.org/download/remed/epa-542-r-07-013.pdf.
EPA paper: Urban Agriculture and Soil Contamination: An Introduction to Urban Gardening, available at:

available at: http://cepm.louisville.edu/Pubs_WPapers/practiceguides/PG25.pdf.
EPA fact sheet on brownfields redevelopment and local agriculture, available at:

available at: www.epa.gov/brownfields/success/local_ag.pdf.
EPAs fact sheet on phytotechnologies, available at: www.cluin.org/download/remed/phytotechnologies-factsheet.pdf.

Funding Opportunities
More information on funding sources for brownfields assessment, cleanup, revolving loans and environmental job training
is available at: www.epa.gov/brownfields/grant_info/index.htm.
EPAs fact sheet on how to apply for Brownfields Assessment Grants is available at: www.epa.gov/brownfields/grant_info/
assess/assessment_factsheet.pdf.

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Learning about and taking steps to assess and address potential

contamination can help you to ensure that your urban garden area
is safe and productive. You can reap the benefits for years to come.

United States Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (5204P)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20460

EPA 542/F-10/011 | Spring 2011 | www.epa.gov/brownfields/urbanag/

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